Table 1 Main types of extracellular vesicles and the differences among them
From: Extracellular vesicles: a rising star for therapeutics and drug delivery
Type and size (nm) | Origin | Biogenesis | Density (g/m) | Appearance | Major pathway | Biomarkers | Contents | Refs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exosome 50–150 | Endosomal membrane | The fusion of multivesicular bodies and plasma membranes | 1.13–1.18 | Cup-shaped | ESCRT-dependent | Tetraspanins (CD9, CD81, CD63, CD82) Alix TSG101 HSP70 ESCRT | Nucleic acids (mRNA, miRNA, Pre-miRNA, snRNA, mtDNA, dsDNA, etc.) Lipids Proteins (cytoskeletal, heat shock, nuclear enzyme, etc.) Amino acids Metabolites MHC | |||
Microvesicles 100–1000 | Plasma membrane | Shedding from the plasma membrane | 1.04–1.07 | Cup-shaped | Ca2+-dependent | CD40 Integrin Selectin | Nucleic acids (miRNAs, etc.) Lipids Membrane protein enzymes Growth factor- receptors, Cytokines Chemokines | |||
Apoptotic bodies 1000–5000 | Plasma membrane, Endoplasmic reticulum | Direct outward budding of the cell membrane in dying cells | 1.16–1.28 | Heterogeneous | Apoptosis-related pathway | Histone proteins, Annexin V Thrombospondin C3b | Nucleic acids (mRNA, miRNA, fragments of DNA), Lipids Cell organelles | |||